


Vadar Compromised

by kylejoseph



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Darth Vader (Comics)
Genre: Dark Jedi - Freeform, F/M, Gen, My First Fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylejoseph/pseuds/kylejoseph
Summary: Darth Vader searches for something missing.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	Vadar Compromised

Water sprinkled down from the sky as the dirt-covered floor of the jungle biome on an unnamed world in the backwater of the Outer Rim turned into liquid slush. A pair of black boots tramped through the mud and grime, annoyed at this minor but important detour. The sound of hissing, ragged breaths came slow and steady as the black-clad figure strode ever onward. His mission was an important one but it must remain secret for now until he could determine the extent of the damage which may be caused if he was unsuccessful.  


The domed helmet of Darth Vader—apprentice to Emperor Palpatine and Dark Lord of the Sith—bobbed in time with his stride as the figure moved through the jungle and entered a covered area leading into the markets. Unfamiliar with his identity, most of the patrons failed to give Vader a wide berth, a mistake they would have sorely regretted if he deemed them worthy of destroying.

Darth Vader, a master of the dark side of the Force, reached out with his senses to detect if anyone nearby was afraid in his presence. This far out of the Empire's reach, it would not be considered unusual if the grim figure of the Dark Lord was unrecognizable to most of its inhabitants. The native species on this planet barely possessed space travel, let alone was worthy of the Empire's notice. However, it still contained a spaceport and hundreds of markets as it was also a repository for an especially rare metal found only on this planet used in construction by many of the species found in this arm of the galaxy. This made it a popular destination for anyone looking to strike it rich, despite the fact that the metal required a special type of processing to extract, meaning most were unable to withdraw it without considerable expense.

One way or another, however, Darth Vader would find what he was after. All he had to do was figure out if anyone here knew who he was and hone in on their fear. "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural," Darth Sidious, his Master, had once told him in his past life, when he was still called Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi fools had no idea the most powerful Sith had been walking and living amongst them for years until it was too late and the activation of Order 66 eradicated them all.

Darth Vader pushed these memories down, away from his conscious mind. He didn't want to think about her anymore. He was no longer Anakin—he was now the Emperor's right hand and if he wished to stay that way his mission was of the utmost importance. The punishment for failure in this would be most severe, he knew that to be true.

Then, he felt it. Vader turned his dark side energies outward and expanded further, feeling with tendrils into the market. There it was. He swept across the open space, moving like a graceful cat as he came to stop in front of a tiny mouse of a man, maybe human, perhaps another type of alien. It didn't matter, in the end. Vader stopped before the man who looked up cautiously at him and swallowed hard.

"Do you know who I am?" The Dark Lord asked, his voice modulated by his rebreather. When he stopped speaking, the hissing continued, an ominous sound which made the shop vender quiver on the spot.

"N-no," the man said. "Should I?"

"If you are hiding what I seek from me, I will rip it from your dead body if necessary. I'm not one to bandy words, do I make myself clear?" Darth Vader asked, his blank mask unreadable even in the bright light of the market.

The man gulped again. "Yes, sir. Understood. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sensing the truth in this man's words, Vader looked around. Finally, he raised a holoprojector and tapped a button. A blue hued image of a small codex appeared, a cylindrical object with intricate designs dotting the sides. In some ways it resembled the Jedi and Sith holocrons of old. "Have you seen this object for sale anywhere here?" Vader asked.

The man shook his head. "No, sir," he said feebly.

Vader pushed the holoprojector closer. "Look carefully," he instructed.

Doing as he was told, the man tried again. After ten seconds, he scrunched his face and finally shook his head a second time. "Sorry, sir, I've never seen that before in my entire life."

"If you are lying to me," Vader said, "I will know soon enough. I know it's here on this planet, but I can't pinpoint its exact location. I am tireless in my quest, and I will remain on this planet until my goal is accomplished. If I learn you have been dishonest with me, things will not go well for you."

The man nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir, I'll keep an eye out for it."

Vader replaced the holoprojector on his belt. "Good. Can you point me in the direction of the nearest—"

Suddenly, a behemoth of a man appeared at Darth Vader's side. The Sith Lord was startled, an emotion to which he was unaccustomed. This newcomer had skin a deep blue and his species was unfamiliar to Vader. "Name's Zahan," the newcomer said, reaching out a hand in greeting.

Vader looked at the hand but did not return the gesture.

"Heh," Zahan said, withdrawin his hand and running it through his black hair which was tied tightly in a bun behind his head, "I saw the cylinder you're looking for, in a shop just outside of town. Come with me, I can show you."

Intrigued, Darth Vader turned to meet this newcomer. "If you are leading me astray, I will end you," he said after a moment.

The man raised his arms innocently. "No deceit here. You're scaring the customers, we just want to do everything we can to help you on your way, okay?"

Vader nodded and agreed to accompany him. Together, they exited the market through its rear exit and began their trek out into the rain-dappled jungles of this unknown, overly hot and smelly world. Vader was growing every more impatient but he reminded himself of the import of this mission and he pushed those emotions away. The anger and rage could wait for another day. He followed Zahan, who walked through the mud as if it meant nothing to him. Finally, they arrived at a small hut far away from the bustling market.

"This is another shop?" Vader asked dubiously.

"One sec," Zahan said, ducking into the tent flap.

Vader started to approach when suddenly the blue man reappeared. Now, however, he was wearing shiny black armor which somewhat resembled Vader's own. Something about it was odd to the Sith Lord but he couldn't quite place it. "This armor is crafted from a rare metal that only can be found on this very planet," Zahan said.

Vader tilted his head. Then, he saw the weapon.

Two more arms unfolded themselves from behan Zahan's back and the hilt of a lightsaber came into view. It was wider than anything Vader had ever seen before—big enough to emit multiple beams. The Force shield Zahan was holding around himself dropped and suddenly Vader sensed the light mixed with the dark. This man was a Jedi, but one who left the Order long before their destruction.

"I was kicked out, you see," Zahan said, "for toeing the line of the dark side one too many times. They thought I was a little too brutal," he said, putting emphasis on the last word. "But the Jedi just don't like being wrong. I may not have liked them, but I know who you are, Anakin Skywalker. You killed younglings, and now you're going to pay for your crimes. Right here, right now."

Vader withdraw his own lightsaber and with a snap-hiss the crimson blade ignited, sizzling as the rain splashed across it. "I have been trained by the Emperor himself, Zahan," Vader warned the fallen Jedi. "You will not find me a foe so easily dispatched. Even Obi-Wan himself could not best me."

"Not the second time," Zahan snorted. "You waited until he was an old man to kill him, didn't you?"

"Enough," Vader snarled.

Zahan thumbed the control on his lightsaber and three amethyst blades sprung into view, tapering off at an angle near the end. "Enjoying my greatsaber?" the blue skinned alien asked. "It's my own design, had to find two more kyber crystals to help power the sabers but it was worth the trouble." The pair began to circle on another. Zahan said, "You afraid of me yet, Darth Vader?" he asked, spitting the title like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

"Do I look afraid?" Vader asked, his hissing breathing filling the silence.

Zahan paused, staring at Vader's blank faceplate. "I mean, no, but with the, you know—" He said, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Enough games," Vader said. "You have what I came here for. I plan to take it from you by force. You can resist and meet an extremely painful end," he said, "or you can give me what I want and I will ensure you have a quick, painless death. The choice is yours."

"Tempting as both of those options sound, I think I'll take my chances," Zahan said, gripping the heavy hilt of his greatsaber with all four limbs and swinging it with all his strength.

Vader matched Zahan with a ferocious intensity which took the blue alien by surprise. The two began to duel, their lightsabers flaring and dying as they made contact over and over, clashing repeatedly against one another. Vader's hissing breath never wavered—never changed.

Zahan broke away and felt Vader's anger flaring over, threatening to be unleashed upon him. "My, my, the legends of you are true, Darth Vader. You really are powerful in the dark side of the Force. No wonder everyone is so terrified of you. But let's see what you can really do, eh?" The four-limbed former Jedi gathered all his power and unleashed a torrent of sizzling blue Force lightning which Vader anticipated and caught in the palm of his gloved hand. He used his mastery of the Force to redirect the powerful blast into the sky with little effort.

"Impressive," Zahan said, chuckling now.

They came together again, two fallen Jedi with nothing left to lose and so much power to gain. If Zahan knew even a fraction of the value of the missing codex he would have sold it immediately, for the purposes of offloading the stolen object and also getting away from Vader's ire as quickly as possible. Anyone who recognized it would want no part of it—it seemed to Vader as if his arrival was a surprise to Zahan. A welcome surprise, it would seem, but a surprise nontheless.

Zahan managed to slip two of the beams of his lightsaber around Vader's. He gave it a powerful twist and the weapon was pulled from Vader's grasp. The Dark Lord was surprised by the move but even as the weapon deactivated and spun away, Vader shoved Zahan backwards with a blast of Force energy and recalled the weapon to his hand. The moment it came in contact with his palm he activated it and the crimson blade reignited once again.

"Clever," Vader said, twirling the weapon in his hand. "But not clever enough. I tire of your games, Zahan." With a clench of his fist, Vader yanked the former Jedi to him by the throat. Zahan was dragged across the muddy ground, fighting to break free but Vader was relentless. He redoubled his efforts and as Zahan drew near, he slashed the greatsaber in half. As the amethyst blades vanished, Vader spun his lightsaber and cleaved off both of Zahan's left arms.

Screaming in surprise more than pain, Zahan fell to the ground.

"You dare to defy me," Vader said, towering over Zahan as the latter tried to crawl away in a feeble but useless attempt to save his own life. "I could have cut you down the moment I saw you. I knew what you were but I wanted to know if you were worthy to join me. I see now that was a foolish question. The Jedi were right to expel you, Zahan. You are pitiful."

With that, Vader removed Zahan's head from his body.

"Freeze!" an electronically filtered voice called out. "Don't move!"

Vader looked up to see he was now surrounded from the front by over a dozen uniformed officers who were converging on his position, weapons drawn and aimed at him.

"You're under arrest," another officer informed him.

Raising his lightsaber, Vader dragged the nearest officer towards him and impaled him with the crimson blade. As the body slumped lifelessly to the muddy ground, the remaining officers opened fire at the same time, an impressively coordinated attack.

Vader felt each and every blaster bolt coming towards him. Moving almost faster than a normal eye could follow, he used his lightsaber to deflect them all. The officers trying to corner him fell, screaming, as they died. Lowering the weapon, Vader's hissing breathing still hadn't changed its steady tempo. The lightsaber extinguished and the Dark Lord placed it back on his belt.

Entering the hut, Vader looked around until he found the cylindrical codex he was looking for. Using the Force, he called it into his hands and stood watching the hologram play.

"Good morning, Anakin! I miss you so much when you're away on Jedi business but I can't wait for your return, as always. I hope once you're back on Coruscant we can talk about taking the next step forward. Love you, Ani."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! Thank you for reading my first fanfiction. If you like this please check out my original works here:
> 
> https://tinyurl.com/KyleJosephWebsite  
> https://tinyurl.com/KyleJosephYouTube


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